Report: Google, Adscape deal wraps

  • By Curt Feldman, GameSpot
  • Posted Feb 16, 2007 5:11 pm PT

Sources go unnamed, but one tech site calls the deal complete; pegs upside for Adscape at $23 million.

Tech journal Red Herring yesterday ran an unsourced story stating the acquisition of unproven in-game ad firm Adscape Media by search giant Google was a done deal. The long-rumored deal in the making was considered by most industry insiders as being irrevocably derailed, but the Red Herring report reignited the rumor mill, citing a "source familiar with the matter." The Web site calls the deal as one worth $23 million, with Adscape execs Dan Willis (who holds the Adscape patents), Bernie Stolar (keeper of the Adscape rolodex), and VP of marketing Eva Woo as the only staffers "likely" making the transition to Google.

81 Comments

  • Fil0403

    Posted Feb 28, 2007 11:09 am PT

    Microsoft did a better deal before.

  • TheLonelyWolf

    Posted Feb 21, 2007 2:41 am PT

    Niiiiice

  • Crimson-_-Tears

    Posted Feb 21, 2007 1:37 am PT

    Certain titles are not that bad with ads like say theres a Google ad or some other type of ad in a Subway station like in a GTA like game, thats not too bad. Now though if it was in a game during WWII and there is a Big mac advertisement some where now that is going to piss people like me off with that.

  • chromium42

    Posted Feb 20, 2007 3:04 pm PT

    Well I don't know...preparation H tanks would really kick ass.

  • GrayHalo

    Posted Feb 20, 2007 8:18 am PT

    I'm torn, it depends on the ad and where it is, like a Sobe vending machine in splinter cell was ok, but every computer screen in FEAR with a XPS on it was a little too much. I don't mind seeing ads where i would expect an ad, like on a vending machine or bill board, it has to be relavent and appropriate to the game, and game related advertising is better, Id rather those screens say XPS than Coke or scion. What i don't want to see is company sponsered weapons, for instance a big mac bastard sword in oblivion, tampax sniper rifles, or preperation H Tanks. Its only appropriate in sports games and modern themed games, nothing would be worse for fantasy than the big mac bastard sword.

  • g_max_

    Posted Feb 20, 2007 7:57 am PT

    Spam in my games? Heh. I won't be giving anyone any money for those games...

  • ralphbananas

    Posted Feb 20, 2007 6:57 am PT

    I don't really care, as long as there's not a huge Nike sticker on my magnum

  • grimzeus

    Posted Feb 20, 2007 6:04 am PT

    Will I be forced to watch Massengill ads?

  • DiscGuru101

    Posted Feb 20, 2007 1:50 am PT

    As long as they are subtle.

  • datniccah187

    Posted Feb 19, 2007 11:32 pm PT

    In game ads. No good what so over. Maybe in sports game. Thats the only place they are ok like courtside, or in the arenas and stuff because that makes the game seem more real. Because their are suppose to be ads in sporting arenas and stuff. But when you see an add in an action adventure game, its out of control.

  • milkboy24

    Posted Feb 19, 2007 5:35 pm PT

    Can't wait to see Zombies in RE wearing the swoosh of Nike. or better yet, Kratos has an orange "Home Depot" tattoo on his biceps.

  • wonkisjones

    Posted Feb 19, 2007 5:34 pm PT

    "likely"

  • JoeyDrey

    Posted Feb 19, 2007 10:53 am PT

    300 in Gears of War. Need I say more, so inappropriate.

    Althought that movie looks AWESOME!

  • cjcr_alexandru

    Posted Feb 19, 2007 9:48 am PT

    Now we will surely see more ads in games...

  • Sharvie

    Posted Feb 19, 2007 9:23 am PT

    More ads.

  • ShinAkuma777

    Posted Feb 19, 2007 9:04 am PT

    who cares as long as a banner doesnt run across my screen sayin google it or drink coke i'm fine with in game adds

  • CheddarLimbo

    Posted Feb 19, 2007 8:01 am PT

    Google has style and class. If someone's going to do in-game ads (and somebody's going to do it no matter what), I'd rather it be a company like Google than some smarmy ad firm that is disconnected from their audience.

  • the_real_VIP

    Posted Feb 19, 2007 6:13 am PT

    I just lost my trust in the Google search engine procedure: when searching, it used to list to most relevant subject first, now it list whoever/whatever pays most to be shown first on the list for the specific subject you type. Makes me mad when I have to click up to the 32nd results page to actually find what I want.

  • Sanguis_Malus

    Posted Feb 19, 2007 5:43 am PT

    This needs to be capped at least !

  • 5-0

    Posted Feb 19, 2007 3:53 am PT

    In game advertising doesn't make me want to buy a product. I just ignore it. So what's the point of them? I hardly ever buy something cause of an ad anyway. Stupid.

  • TRH4469

    Posted Feb 19, 2007 12:46 am PT

    expect more in game adds to come. also expect google to take over the world and drive us to the 7th gate of hell.

  • natedogr

    Posted Feb 18, 2007 8:05 pm PT

    This is not good news. There will only be more ads in the future.

  • PackersRock

    Posted Feb 18, 2007 6:55 pm PT

    As long as the ads don't interrupt the gameplay or imersion I don't care one way or the other about ingame advertising.

  • tshack5188

    Posted Feb 18, 2007 4:11 pm PT

    If you really get distracted by ingame ads instead of bombs going off or walkers coming after you (bf2142) then you got some problems...

  • RoC1909

    Posted Feb 18, 2007 2:49 pm PT

    Ads in games should be a BIG NO NO unless, the Ads add to a more inmersive experience like in some sports titles and even then, they shouldn't be programmed depending on what I like. If companies want to make money off of my wants and needs, then they need to kick some money or product my way.

  • Gizmyle

    Posted Feb 18, 2007 1:31 pm PT

    I agree with lilmp89. It will give them more money to develop games, so the game will be better, but I don't really like the ads. Buuut... I guess it's ok as long as the ads fit in.^^,

  • lilmp89

    Posted Feb 18, 2007 10:45 am PT

    hm...although, I'm not fond of ingame ads, they will help to pay for development...meaning better quality and more likely to be on all systems. So I do see it as good for everybody as long as it isn't like a full screen ad.

  • davenweb

    Posted Feb 18, 2007 1:37 am PT

    Game advertisments were coming anyway Proman84, this just means they will have a "powered by google" in the corner....

    LOL

  • Proman84

    Posted Feb 18, 2007 12:55 am PT

    I hope this doeen't mean thatwe'll see more in-game ads because they are really distracting.

  • racerx737

    Posted Feb 18, 2007 12:03 am PT

    uh huh, ... ok?

  • CorruptGamerGX

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 10:07 pm PT

    Caring

  • link631

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 10:04 pm PT

    ok....................so?

  • especensor

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 7:17 pm PT

    ok.....

  • IpodHero176

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 5:33 pm PT

    Woooo(sarcasm).

  • dhghunter

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 5:02 pm PT

    One thing is for sure -- Bernie Stolar will be fired shortly before Adscape launches, hehe. =P

  • redskinStu

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 2:42 pm PT

    Are we supposed to care about this?

  • vanderstighelen

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 2:28 pm PT

    Google isn't going to have an ad in a game numbnuts, it's so they can expand the company and make lots of money. The company they're supposed to be buying is for organising in-game ads and/or selling the ad-space.

  • anarchicgoth

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 2:23 pm PT

    and the google empire grows rooting itself deep into our video games! Battlefield 2142 will NEVER be the same lol

  • diablobasher

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 2:21 pm PT

    For sports or racing games etc, i can see how ingame ads are acceptable, or, if it lowers the cost of me to buy the game, then again, i can put up with it.

    However, if i see now benefits from it at all (no heightened realism for games that need it, no free maintained servers for mmo's, no lowered retail cost) then i don't want to see an ad in my game EVER.

  • 2x4b96123

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 1:43 pm PT

    i don't mind in-game advertising so much with sports games, i think it helps it be more realistic to have sponsor logos and brand ads everywhere. and why does Google need an ad? everybody knows them already, instead of people going "Google? wha's that?" it'll be more like "oh... cool....Google has an ad"

  • RealXBoxKiller

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 1:40 pm PT

    "makes the game more realistic" Right.... so then if that's your attitude, then you should say something about the unrealistic events/tricks/whatever in the game itself. I don't play games for 'realism' anyways. I find 'realistic' games to be among the worst of the bunch.

  • Chief_Kuuni

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 1:21 pm PT

    not bad at all

  • beirjio724

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 12:29 pm PT

    YzN-UndeaD i agree with beirjio724


    Thank you YzN!! All hail Bernie Stolar!! haha. I'm not trolling, I"m just trying to make lightheartedness of this "issue." Its nothing new people. If any of you want to go back and play Burnout 3 for example, the amount of advertising in that game is enough to make you sick!

  • gibb1

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 12:03 pm PT

    this kind of news bug me, i don't like it...

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 12:00 pm PT

    Does google really need ads?

  • walton13

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 11:35 am PT

    didnt rainbow six have a deal with Axe deodorant?

  • YzN-UndeaD

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 10:56 am PT

    i agree with beirjio724

  • Seven_Is_Darker

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 10:51 am PT

    Hmph, so google is buying an ingame ad firm. I honestly couldn't care because this most likely won't make it too too far out of EA games...

  • beirjio724

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 10:37 am PT

    Strike_Zer0 Hail Bernie Stolar? You do know he was fired from Sega right? He's made some pretty piss poor decisions in his career with Sega taking the bullet for his mistakes IMO.


    Even though there were mistakes made, and he was fired from SEGA, the system itself was awesome, and should've been more successful financially. His biggest mistake was not allowing RPG's on the DC, but he then relented, and we got the awesome Skies of Arcadia. All hail DC!!

  • jsratm

    Posted Feb 17, 2007 10:04 am PT

    tv is free? where do you live?

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